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Nos Astra (pre-war)
Nos Astra is the planetary capital of the asari corporate-operated colony Illium. The original city was Illium's first major settlement, and -- Illium being, by asari standards, a young world -- still in the process of growing at the time of the Reaper War. The dominant architectural style was neo-Kendra Thessian. During the Reaper invasion of Illium, Nos Astra was a primary landing site. The majority of the city's population were evacuated to neighbouring Nos Varda, although the evacuation was incomplete when Reapers began landing. Following the departure of the Reapers, the city's ruins were deemed unsuitable for immediate reuse, and a lengthy schedule for demolition and eventual reclamation was begun. Nos Varda, having survived the war, was renamed Nos Astra, and took on the role of capital city. The old Nos Astra, meanwhile, soon became known unofficially as "Nos Dwicka", due to the construction of One Dwickcast Tower, seat of the Dwick Dwickcast Syndykyt. The company in question has been heavily involved in reclamation and rebuilding. NOTE: The following details refer to pre-war Nos Astra only: Geography *The Jade Sea borders Nos Astra to the south. The central area of the city's shoreline consists of docks for maritime industry, as well as the primary approach lane for incoming orbital traffic. The shoreline west of the docklands, Thrana Dar, is notable for its beaches and leisure facilities. *The Gemstone Lakes take their name from harmless mineral impurities in their water which, viewed from the air, produce dazzling diamond-like effects. Originally some distance to the north of Nos Astra, the city's expansion has now encompassed the southern shores of the nearest of the lake network. The majority of the area surrounding the lakes beyond the city's borders, including the north-western Sunder Lowlands, is protected reserve land, and is a popular destination for camping and hiking, while the lakes themselves are home to thousands of yachts and assorted pleasure craft. The lakes are safe for long-term habitation by hanar, with the majority of Nos Astra's hanar population living in a semi-submerged suburb on the lakeshore. *Mesa Gen was originally a satellite settlement, but was later absorbed by the spread of Nos Astra proper. Volus interests financed the initial construction effort - the suburb takes its name from the volus-built recreation centre at its heart - but in recent years the most successful of the founding corporations moved to more prestigious headquarters closer to the city's heart. In their place a large number of human corporations moved in, and in addition to its original population Mesa Gen had one of Nos Astra's highest proportions of human residents. *Vista Elle was a southern suburb, sandwiched between the city's primary passenger spaceport and the Jade Sea docking facilities. It was home to a selection of well-regarded krogan eateries. *Tasin was a central-western suburb, the primary processing and retail centre for the Jade Sea fishing industry, and known for its fresh seafood restaurants. *Nos Varda was a settlement a short distance from Nos Astra proper, although its dedicated high-speed transit links made travel between the two as quick as between Nos Astra's own suburbs, and it is not classified as a separate city for administration purposes. As well as its residential and supporting commercial population, Nos Varda was home to a number of expansive corporate headquarters and facilities, due to the relative affordability of property prices compared to Nos Astra's business districts. Businesses *''Constellation of Delight'' was an adults-only entertainment venue with dedicated zero-gravity simulation facilities. *''Demiurge'' was a casino complex, noted for the wealth of its regular clientele. *The Dusk Oasis Escort Agency i''s a brothel, entertainment venue and escort agency owned by Eafina Meressus, situated in the top five levels of the Aros Paje tower. *''Envirometrics is a small producer of environmental control technology, including quarian clean-rooms and volus pressure/atmosphere chambers. *''Ethereum'' was a lounge and bar in southern Nos Astra, notable for the quality of its drinks, and its selection of Mannovai shishah. *''Firedance'' was a nightclub, with limited dining facilities, situated in the Tarimus Complex in central Nos Astra. Although not specifically an exotic entertainment venue, it has a reputation for permissive standards. *The First Star Club was a social club catering to business functions and parties. Due to its proximity to a number of branches of Alliance-based businesses, it sawa high proportion of humans among its clientele. *Ibbani Incorporated had its headquarters and one manufacturing facility located near the Jade Sea harbour. *Kaga's Mobile Café was a portable kitchen operating in the Mesa Gen neighbourhood. *''Kala Sea'' was a bar and club overlooking the Gemstone Lakes to the north of Nos Astra, named after the region of Thessia on which its decor was modelled. *''Kalisii Temple'' was a luxury hotel, centrally located and boasting tailored environment accommodations for multiple species, including hanar and volus. *''Ouroboros'' was a restaurant/nightclub, so named due to being housed in a multilevel circular observation deck built around the upper floors of its home tower. The club's transparent outer walls and ceiling provide a panoramic view of the surrounding Nos Astra skyline. *The Ozurah Bar and Lounge was a three-storey bar, decorated in updated ancient Thessian style. Singer Syreena Muralis is one of the bartenders, and frequently performed on the Ozurah's stage. *The Raik Cafe was one of Vista Elle's most long-established krogan eateries, as well as one of its most cosmopolitan. Although the cafe's ownership remained primarily krogan, and it projected a Tuchanka-themed atmosphere, the majority of its dishes were intended for non-krogan palettes; some purists assert that its cuisine was krogan in name only. *''Romaer'' was an outdoor cafe/takeaway restaurant located on the main boulevard in Nos Varda, highly regarded among Nos Astra's salarian population for its Jaeto cuisine. *''Rosalina's'' was a human-owned restaurant situated in the north-western suburbs, providing Terran Italian cuisine. *''Sacred Sea'' was a seafood restaurant situated in Tasin, known for its adventurous dishes and relaxed atmosphere. *T'Peyr Systems is an environmental technology company. Although the majority of its work concerns Illium's lower-latitude arcologies, its Nos Astra location remained the corporate headquarters, and the site of the majority of its R&D facilities, including clean-rooms and multi-atmospheric pressure chambers suitable for quarian or volus use. *T'Ursai Media Solutions is a Nos Astra-based online media group, specialising in extranet site construction and maintenance, data hosting, and traffic analysis. *Taf Ned Al Foods was a produce vendor based in the Mesa Gen market complex. It stocked a wide variety of fresh and imported produce, including high-quality quarian-safe foods. *''Talanta's'' was a cafe/restaurant situated in downtown Nos Astra, known for the talent of its pastry chef. * Tanaya Medical Supplies *Visions nightclub Facilities *Anyelis Plaza is a large public forum located on the rooftop of the Anyelis Tower. It is decorated with different trees and plants and its location offers a spectacular view of Nos Astra's greater urban area. Anyelis Plaza was a popular gathering place for many residents of the city and on occasions served as a venue for music concerts. *Belia LaDora University was housed in the tower named after it. *The Cloudtower was the ground station for the Nos Astra region weather control grid. Although pre-colonisation terraforming has moderated the majority of weather cycles to accpetable levels, the Cloudtower and its attached satellite network are still necessary to diffuse or divert some potentially dangerous systems away from urban areas and primary air transit lanes. Less drastic storm cells are allowed to run their natural course; Nos Astra is known for visually spectacular coriolis storms during harvest season. *The Helix Arena, on the north-eastern edge of the city overlooking the Gemstone Lakes, is a multi-discipline racing circuit. Known primarily for its hosting of a stage of the prestigious ELITE ground-effect vehicle competition, the track also hosts masscycle races, and between professional events is open to public use. *Matriarch Planaria Hospital *The Matriarch Tenera Performance Theater was a multi-function performing arts venue. Skylar Sinclair performed a monthly burlesque show, entitled "Blue Sky", at the theatre. *Nos Astra General Hospital *Nos Astra Volus Specialist Hospital *University of Serrice has a Nos Astra campus. Threads of Note Announced Clear: All Reaper fallout is finally declared cleared. Category:Locations